Coniopterygidae

Life-forms

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Cladus: Protostomia
Cladus: Ecdysozoa
Cladus: Panarthropoda
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Classis: Insecta
Cladus: Dicondylia
Subclassis: Pterygota
Cladus: Metapterygota
Infraclassis: Neoptera
Cladus: Eumetabola
Cladus: Endopterygota
Superordo: Neuropterida
Ordo: Neuroptera
Subordo: Hemerobiiformia
Superfamilia: Coniopterygoidea

Familia: Coniopterygidae
Subfamiliae (3): Aleuropteryginae - Brucheiserinae - Coniopteryginae - †Cretaconiopteryginae
Name

Coniopterygidae Burmeister, 1839

References

2013: DOI: 10.1206/3770.2
Engel, M.S. 2004: The dustywings in Cretaceous Burmese amber (Insecta: Neuroptera: Coniopterygidae). Journal of systematic palaeontology, 2(2): 133–136. DOI: 10.1017/S1477201904001191
Engel, M.S. 2010: A new genus of dustywings allied to Archiconiocompsa in Baltic Amber (Neuroptera: Coniopterygidae). Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science, 113(3&4): 145–150. DOI: 10.1660/062.113.0301
Liu, X.Y. & Lu, X.M. 2017. A remarkable new genus of Cretaceous dustywings (Neuroptera: Coniopterygidae) in amber from northern Myanmar. Zoological Systematics 42(3): 380-389. DOI: 10.11865/zs.201716 Reference page.
Martins, C.C. & Amorim, D de S. 2016. Brazilian dustywings (Neuroptera: Coniopterygidae): new species of Incasemidalis Meinander, 1972 and Coniopteryx Curtis, 1834, checklist and key for the Brazilian species. Zootaxa 4083(2): 257–289. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4083.2.6.Reference page.
Meinander, M. 1972: A revision of the family Coniopterygidae (Planipennia). Acta zoologica fennica, 136: 1–357. [not seen]
Meinander, M. 1990: The Coniopterygidae (Neuroptera, Planipennia). A check-list of the species of the world, descriptions of new species and other new data. Acta zoologica fennica, 189: 1–95. [not seen]
Sziráki, G. 2010: Taxonomic and nomenclatural questions of some coniopterygid species (Neuroptera). Folia Historico Naturalia Musei Matraensis, 34: 141–150. PDF
Zimmermann D., Klepal W., Aspöck U. (2009): The first holistic SEM study of Coniopterygidae (Neuroptera: Insecta) – structural evidence and phylogenetic implications. European Journal of Entomology. 106(4): 651–662. (PDF)

Vernacular names
English: Dustywings
suomi: Vahakorennot
polski: bielotkowate
svenska: Vaxsländor

The dustywings, Coniopterygidae, are a family of Pterygota (winged insects) of the net-winged insect order (Neuroptera). About 460 living species are known.[1] These tiny insects can usually be determined to genus with a hand lens according to their wing venation, but to distinguish species, examination of the genitals by microscope is usually necessary.

Description and ecology

In general habitus, the adults are quite unlike other net-winged insects. Because of their small size - wingspan is between 1.8 and 5 millimetres - and their translucent brownish wings usually covered with the namesake whitish dust of waxy scales, they may at first be mistaken for whiteflies (Aleyrodidae). But whiteflies are true bugs (Sternorrhyncha), which are only distantly related to net-winged insects. An easily-perceived distinguishing feature to separate whiteflies from dustywings is, that like many other Neuroptera, dustywings carry their wings nearly side-by-side when at rest, whereas whiteflies carry them almost flat across the back. There are no more than two veins across the costal field, and few cross-veins in general - unique among the living net-winged insects, dustywings do not actually have the "net-winged" venation. Some Coniopterygidae, like the genus Conwentzia, have only vestigial hindwings; others, like Helicoconis females, are completely wingless.

Dustywings are strongly associated with woody plants, on and around which they usually spend their entire lives.[1] Females deposit their eggs singly on bark or leaves. Dustywing larvae are around 3.5 mm long. Their mouthparts consist of short, straight sucking tubes covered by the labrum (upper "lip"). They are crepuscular and dwell on shrubs and trees, where they feed on small invertebrates like scale insects, aphids and mites, as well as on arthropod eggs; the mouth tubes are used for sucking fluids from the prey. There are usually two generations each year.
Systematics and taxonomy

Due to the dustywings' many apomorphies, the superfamily Coniopterygoidea was formerly believed to be monotypic, and the primitive traits of their larvae were held to evidence a quite basal place among the net-winged insects.[1] But in fact the spongillaflies (Sisyridae), formerly allied with the Osmylidae in error due to their larvae's convergent morphology, seem to be close relatives of the Coniopterygidae, more plesiomorphic altogether as adults but with a number of peculiar and highly divergent apomorphies, particularly in the larvae. So even though the spongillaflies are not generally placed in the Coniopterygoidea yet, they most likely form a clade with the dustywings and thus it would seem that the Coniopterygoidea, rather than being maintained as an unnecessarily monotypic taxon, are better expanded to signify that the spongillaflies and the dustywings are each other's closest relatives among the net-winged insects. This is all the more significant because in this apparent clade, there would be a highly interesting and exactly opposing pattern of evolution - primitive larvae and highly advanced adults in the dustywings, versus primitive adults and very advanced larvae in the spongillaflies.[2]
Genera

Numerous fossil taxa are known from the Late Jurassic onwards. Most of these, as well as a number of living genera, are of basal or uncertain position in dustywing phylogeny:[2][3]

Aleuropteryx Löw, 1855
Brucheiser Riek, 1975
Coniocompsa Enderlein, 1905
Coniopteryx Curtis, 1834
Conwentzia Enderlein, 1905
Cryptoscenea Enderlein, 1914
Flintoconis Sziráki, 2007
Helicoconis Enderlein, 1905
Hemisemidalis Meinander, 1972
Heteroconis Enderlein, 1905
Neoconis Enderlein, 1930
Neosemidalis Enderlein, 1930
Nimboa Navas, 1915
Parasemidalis Enderlein, 1905
Semidalis Enderlein, 1905
Spiloconis Enderlein, 1907
Vartiana H. Aspock & U. Aspock, 1965

The supposed Early Jurassic dustywing genus Archiconiopteryx actually seems to be a whitefly-like true bug.[1]
Extinct genera

Subfamily Aleuropteryginae

†Burmaleuropteryx Bai et al. 2019 Burmese amber, Myanmar, Cenomanian
†Garnaconis Perrichot and Nel 2014 Vendée amber, France, Turonian
†Juraconiopteryx Meinander 1975 Karabastau Formation, Kazakhstan, Callovian/Oxfordian
†Libanoconis Engel 2002 Lebanese amber, Barremian, Taimyr amber, Cenomanian
†Palaeoconis Ružičková et al. 2019 Burmese amber, Myanmar, Cenomanian
Tribe Coniocompsini Enderlein 1905
†Archiconiocompsa Enderlein 1910 Baltic amber, Rovno amber, Eocene
†Geroconiocompsa Engel 2010 Balic amber, Eocene
Tribe Fontenelleini
†Achlyoconis Engel 2016 Burmese amber, Myanmar, Cenomanian
†Alboconis Nel et al. 2005 Charentese amber, France, Cenomanian
†Archiconis Enderlein 1930 Baltic amber, Eocene
†Cycloconis Li et al. 2019 Burmese amber, Myanmar, Cenomanian
†Glaesoconis Meinander 1975 Burmese amber, Myanmar, Cenomanian, New Jersey amber, Turonian Taimyr amber, Santonian
†Pararchiconis Nel 1991 Alsace, France, Rupelian
†Soplaoconis Pérez-de la Fuente et al. 2019 Spanish amber, Albian

Subfamily Coniopteryginae Burmeister 1839

Tribe Coniopterygini Burmeister 1839
†Paranimboa Engel 2016 Burmese amber, Myanmar, Cenomanian
†tribe Phthanoconini Engel 2004
†Phthanoconis Engel 2004 Burmese amber, Myanmar, Cenomanian
†Libanosemidalis Azar et al. 2000 Lebanese amber, Barremian
†Mulleroconis Ružičková et al. 2019 Burmese amber, Myanmar, Cenomanian

Incertae sedis

†Apoglaesoconis Grimaldi 2000 New Jersey amber, Turonian
†Cretaconiopteryx Liu and Lu 2017 Burmese amber, Myanmar, Cenomanian
†Jurasiatypus Kaddumi 2005 Jordanian amber, Albian

References

Engel & Grimaldi (2007)
See references in Haaramo (2008)

Biolib

Engel, Michael S. & Grimaldi, David A. (2007): The neuropterid fauna of Dominican and Mexican amber (Neuropterida, Megaloptera, Neuroptera). American Museum Novitates 3587: 1-58. PDF fulltext

This article draws heavily on the corresponding article in the German-language Wikipedia.